


Mercy

by Mystic_Shadows



Series: Konagona [6]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Abandonment, Asphyxiation, Hurt, Isolation, Psychological Torture, Torture, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29168232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Shadows/pseuds/Mystic_Shadows
Summary: Was Horde Prime really as merciful as he seemed?
Series: Konagona [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043466
Comments: 13
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very dark story. Tags will be added throughout the story.
> 
> I am willing to take requests, although I do have some planned. If you want, you can leave a comment or dm me in Tumblr.

Mermista paces the room again. She's checked the room over and over again, finding no way out. The room is bigger than she'd honestly expected to be in, almost as big as her room in Salineas. Mermista turns again, letting out a groan. White, white, and more white. Couldn't he have put a color in the room? Even that disgusting green. Mermista sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed. 

She's not sure what Prime is planning. He hasn't spoken to her since the...she thinks it was the second day she was on board, but she's not sure. The lights stay on all the time, and even if there had been a window in the room, Mermista is pretty sure all she'd see is space. _Entrapta would be happy_. Mermista thinks. She wonders how long it'll take for them to rescue her. 

Mermista starts reciting the species of fish in the ocean, and after naming 50 species, she stops, coughing. Raising a hand to her throat, she massages it gently, wondering if there was a bruise from... Mermista shakes her head, trying to shake the thought away. She's not sure she wants to know. 

Mermista groans again, laying back on the bed, then sitting up and looking around. Something was wrong about the room, besides the fact that she couldn't escape. She knows it's going to bug her until she figures it out, and she stands up, beginning to pace again. She stops at the wall, leaning against it, to look around the room again. The silence seems loud, and she'd think she was alone, except that once in awhile, a clone brings her food. 

_Wait a second_ , Mermista thinks, standing up. She lays her palm flat on the wall, closing her eyes. There's no vibration. Mermista frowns, opening her eyes. She's sure she remembers being told she was on a ship, why was there no vibration? She listens, realizing that the room is completely silent. There's no humming or buzzing or anything she expected to hear in a ship. 

Mermista shivers, wrapping her arms around herself. She looks back at the force-field door, hoping to see a clone pass by. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw/tw: references abandonment, references sensory deprivation, chains, I think that's it for this chapter.

The room feels like it's closing in on Mermista. She can't tell if it's day or night, the damn room stays bright all the time. The paperwork she'd filled out for Prime seems so long ago now, although she doesn't think it was. She's trying to keep track of the days, counting the trays of food. But it seems like it's taking longer and longer between the trays. 

The clones won't talk to her, although she tries. Mermista wants to hear something, anything, other than her own voice. 

_**Princess, will you join me?**_ Prime phrases it as a request. Mermista scrambles to her feet and is almost at the door when she catches herself. _What am I doing, acting like I want to see Prime?_

Mermista is led to a table and directed to sit down. She groans as chains come out, circling her wrists. 

"Ah, thank you for meeting me."

"Not like I had a choice, is it?" Mermista pulls at the chains.

"I wanted to thank you for answering the questions, however, we must have a talk about how you ended your answers. It wasn't very proper, was it?" Prime asks.

"So?" Mermista shrugs. "I said I'd answer the questions, I didn't say I'd be nice."

"No, I suppose not. Maybe I expected too much of you." Prime turns his back on her. "But since you're no longer royalty, maybe…" 

"What do you mean, I'm not royalty? I'm a Princess, Prime." Mermista interrupts, snarling his name. "I know you know that, you refer to me as one often enough."

"Yes, a Princess. Who lost her kingdom, while, what was it? Oh yes, playing games." Prime smirks. "Hardly a reason to still be called a Princess."

"It wasn't a game, it was an investigation." Mermista mutters, recoiling in her seat. 

"Still, a Princess without her kingdom is barely a Princess. Join me and, under my guidance, you'll be able to rule your kingdom properly." Prime offers.

"I'm never joining you. The Princess Alliance will rescue me."

"Why? Why do you believe that?"

Mermista frowns. _Of course they'll rescue her._ "We take care of our own."

"From what I have observed, you don't meet the requirements anymore to be in the Princess Alliance." 

_He's lying to me trying to break my trust in them._ "What...what do you mean?" 

"Well, a Princess is someone with a kingdom, which we just established you don't have anymore. And the other way? Having powers, which this far up, you don't have anymore. So, why would this Princess Alliance rescue a powerless, kingdom-less Princess?" 

Mermista glares at him. "Once I'm in range of my Runestone, I'll have powers again. And I'm going to use them against you. The Alliance is going to rescue me, I don't care what you say." 

"So much faith in others." Prime muses. "That won't last."

Mermista raises her head. "It doesn't matter what you do, I can handle it." 

"Is that so?" Prime tilts his head. "We will see. Take her back to her room."

Back in her cell, Mermista takes a few deep breaths. _The Alliance will rescue me, but I don't want to wait any longer. Sea Hawk is still on board, I can save us._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw/cw: references starvation, if you squint. Psychological torture, asphyxiation. If anything else needs warning, let me know.

Her stomach growling wakes Mermista up. Curling an arm around her stomach, she growls at herself when she sees the tray of gray food in front of her. She had been planning on trying to escape when they brought the tray. Resigning herself to waiting for the next opportunity, Mermista polishes off the small tray of food.

She curls up by the door, pretending to go to sleep as she waits for a clone to retrieve the tray. The door opens, and Mermista is up, slamming the clone into the wall. Running out of the room, she hesitates; she's not entirely sure where Sea Hawk is. Hearing more clones come down the hallway, Mermista chooses to run away from the sounds.

Mermista ends up at a junction and chooses to go left. She keeps running, choosing random hallways whenever she reaches a junction. She stops at one, bending over and panting. Blinking away the black spots, Mermista realizes she hasn't seen or heard a clone in awhile. She glances around, starting to walk again. She feels small walking these hallways, the ceiling looming far above. 

_Do you think you can escape, Princess?_

Mermista stops, looking behind her. Footsteps are echoing down the hallway, slow, steady, purposeful. She's pretty sure they aren't hers, and she starts running again. She has to be near Sea Hawk by now, she's been running forever.

Mermista sighs, finally arriving at what looks like another holding room. "Sea Hawk!" She whispers. "Sea Hawk, are you here?" Mermista checks each cell on one side. Not seeing him, she goes to check the other side.

Mermista gasps, stumbling backwards. Hands grab her arms, forcing them behind her as she stares at Sea Hawk. "Hi, Merm." Sea Hawk smiles from his smoke-filled room. Mermista knows that it's dangerous for someone to breathe smoke for long, and as she looks at the cell, filling up with dark smoke, she knows that he'll probably have problems later.

"Ah, Princess. I see you found your Sea Hawk." Prime says, coming to stand next to her.

"Let him go! You said you wouldn't hurt him." Mermista snarls, trying to lunge at him. The clones tighten their grip, pulling her back. 

"If you cooperated, Princess. Running away doesn't seem very cooperative to me." Prime looks down at her. 

"Can't you at least get rid of the smoke?" Mermista asks, looking away. 

"As you want." Prime agrees. He snaps his fingers, and the smoke is sucked up through some vents. 

"Sea Hawk! Are you ok?" Mermista asks. Sea Hawk opens his mouth, then grasps at his throat. He starts gaping. "What's wrong, what did you do, Prime?!" 

"Ah. Sucking the smoke out must have sucked the air out as well." Prime says. "He can't breathe." 

"Stop it!" Mermista shakes her head, tears pricking her eyes. "Stop it!" 

Prime tilts her head up with a finger. "Do you promise not to attempt this again, Princess?" 

Mermista glares at Prime, her eyes flicking to Sea Hawk, who's beginning to turn blue. Her shoulders slump, "I promise, Prime. I won't try to escape again."

"Very good." Prime snaps his fingers again. Sea Hawk starts wheezing, color returning to his face. "Understand, I do not wish to hurt him. Or you. But you must understand the consequences."


	4. Chapter 4

Mermista curls up in bed, arms around her growling stomach. The clones had left her in the cell awhile ago--minutes, hours ago? She's not sure. Mermista attempts to sleep, but every time she closes her eyes, all she can see is Sea Hawks' face, eyes bulging and skin turning blue. 

Mermista sighs, sitting up on the bed, pausing and waiting for the room to stop spinning. She looks around as she rubs her arms, trying to warm up. The lights sear her eyes and she blinks back tears. Where are the others? They should have been here by now, are they ok? She wants to know if Sea Hawk is okay, but even if Prime answered, would he be telling the truth? 

Mermista shakes her head, of course everyone is okay, of course Sea Hawk is ok, he's made of strong stuff. He'll survive, he always does. 

No one talks to her, food and drink delivered once in awhile, Mermista thinks it's at least once a day. It's not enough, never enough, but at least he is feeding her, she thinks. 

_Princess, your presence is requested for dinner. Clone XT-777 will escort you shortly._

She glares around the room, but waits by the forcefield. When the clone arrives, she thinks about tackling him, but decides against it. Her head is spinning and she doesn't think she'd be able to fight multiple clones. They arrive at the room and she sits in the same seat as last time. Unlike last time, however, no metal band came to secure her to the chair. 

"Ah, thank you for accepting my invite, Princess."

She glares at him. "Not like I had much of a choice."

Prime ignores the comment. "I have a guest that I believe you will be... interested in seeing." He snapped his fingers and a figure appeared.

"Sea Hawk!" His name slips out in a gasp as he sat down in a seat across from her. "You're okay." 

Prime leans forward. "Sea Hawk, here, tells me that you are able to change forms. Is it true?" Mermista glances at Sea Hawk as she slowly nods. "Tell me, what do you turn into?"

"What, he didn't tell you?" Mermista mutters, then continued as she saw Primes' eyes narrow. "I turn into a Mermaid. Tail, scales, everything."

"Gills?"

Mermista shrugs. "Probably? I can breathe underwater, I just don't think about how it works."

Horde Prime hums. "Are you able to turn at will, or do you need to be in water? And are there any...quirks that you have, being only half-human?"

"It's easier with water, salt water kinda forces it, but I can turn at will." She throws a glance at Sea Hawk, who nods at her. "And it's not really a quirk, I don't think, but I tend to need and drink more water than others. I can't think of anything else." 

"Hmmm. I wish I had known about the water thing earlier."

"Why? Would you have given me more?"

Prime lifts a shoulder. "Probably not, but I prefer to know when I am withholding something you need." He nods. "Thank you, Princess. Now, for your reward. Sea Hawk, escort her to her room."

"Yes, Lord Prime." Sea Hawk said, getting to his feet. He walks over to Mermista and waits for her to stand up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw/tw: gaslighting, abandonment...I think that's it, if something else needs tagged, let me know.

After they leave the room, Mermista whispers to Sea Hawk. "Hey, let's get out of here. You know the way to wherever that ship that brought us is, right? Let's go." Sea Hawk smiles at her, but otherwise stays quiet. Everytime she tries to veer off the path, Sea Hawk would guide her back. She grumbles something under her breath, but stops. Once they get to her room, Sea Hawk opens the forcefield and walks in with Mermista. The forcefield closes as Sea Hawk settles himself on the bed, Mermista lingering by the door. He looks at her and pats the bed.

Mermista slowly walks over and sit at the edge. He was still chipped, she thinks, so she knows she couldn't let her guard down. But...she had missed him. One night couldn't hurt, could it?

Sea Hawk reaches out for her and pulls her close to him. She snuggles up into him, deciding that she could let her guard down for tonight. Maybe she can get through the Chip and free Sea Hawk.

"Don't worry, Sea Hawk. We'll be rescued soon." She murmurs. She feels his arms tighten around her for a second, then loosen. "Our friends will rescue us and we'll unchip you and be home soon."

Sea Hawk sucks in a breath and blows it out slowly. "I..I'm not so sure, sweetest. They.. well, they're not very good friends, are they?" Mermista frowns. "It's just...well. I don't want to be mean or anything, but their track record isn't the best, is it?" 

"Explain?" Mermista peers up at him.

"Well, when we left behind Entrapta. We didn't even look for a body or anything."

"We were on a bit of a time limit. Not really our fault."

Sea Hawk nods. "Then they were more interested in trying to gain back an already lost kingdom than trying to protect the ones still under their protection."

"That...that was because Dryl is an important kingdom. And it's technology advanced. We needed it back." 

"The main reason Dryl was technology advanced was Entrapta. It is a small kingdom and not very advantageous otherwise. But they decided trying to get it back took precedence over protecting their own kingdoms. Which…" Sea Hawk trails off, but Mermista thought she knew where he was going. She was still frowning, but gestured to Sea Hawk, telling him silently to continue. "Which, because they were so focused on that, Salineas fell. They kept you away from your kingdom when it needed you most. And didn't even help you, after promising they would. And afterwards, instead of comforting you, because you were in distress, they left. They left you, when you most needed them. I just...it seems like they haven't been good friends to you." Sea Hawk finishes, tightening his grip around Mermista.

Mermista scowls to herself. "That... that's just because they realized that their kingdoms did need protecting. That's all."

"Yes, but they probably could have stayed an hour or two to try to cheer you up, instead of the 'sorry, bye' they did."

"They're coming, Sea Hawk. They're coming for me and you and we're going to kick Primes' butt."

"It's...don't you think they'd have come by now, if they were coming?" Sea Hawk questions softly.

"It...it hasn't been that long...has it?" Sure, Mermista has been having trouble keeping track of the days, but was she that off? 

"Merm, it's been weeks. Almost months." Sea Hawk pointed out. 

He has to be lying to her, but if it's true... Mermista shakes her head, glaring at the floor. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Night, Sea Hawk. And they're coming." Mermista closed her eyes. Sea Hawk smiled down at her, as his eyes flashed green.


End file.
